Badminton: African Championship and Kenya International-Seychelles on titles-defence mission |13 April 2009

Six shuttlers – Georgie Cupidon, Steve Malcouzane, Joel Dubel, Juliette Ah-Wan, Catherina Paulin and Alisen Camille – have been selected to make the team, whose task is to defend Seychelles’ colours at the 11th African Championships (from April 17-24) and Kenya International (from April 25-26) at the Moi International Sports Complex.

Coaches Gerard Bibi and Calix Francourt, as well as Seychelles Badminton Association chairman Michel Bau, will accompany the team to Nairobi.
Speaking to Sports Nation, Mr Bau said: “The team are going to Kenya with the aim of defending the titles we won in Mauritius in 2007.”

“At the same time, we will do our best in the other events.”
The players are expected back on Sunday April 26 but could delay their return depending on the circumstances.

“Depending on how well we perform in the African Championships and the level of the competitors from other countries, we will enter for the Kenya Open tournament. We will give priority to African Championships’ gold medallists,” said Mr Bau.

“If they (the players) reach the finals of the Kenya International on Sunday April 26, they will only return on Thursday April 30.”

Seychellois put African titles on the line

In Mauritius in 2007, Seychelles won the team event gold medal for the first time after getting a 3-2 final win to dethrone South Africa, who had ruled since 2000.

Ah-Wan, Cupidon, Shirley Etienne, Malcouzane, Paulin, Nicholas Jumaye and Cynthia Course made up the gold medal-winning Seychelles team.

Malcouzane and Paulin gave Seychelles a good start in the final when they won the mixed doubles match on a 2-0 (21-15, 21-13) score against Chris Dednam and Michelle Edwards before Ah-Wan doubled the advantage with 2-0 (21-11, 21-16) victory against Kerry Lee Harrington in the ladies’ singles.

South Africa made a game out of the final with Chris Dednam beating Malcouzane 2-0 (21-11, 21-16) in the men’s singles and the pair of Michelle Edwards/Chantal Botts defeating the ladies’ doubles Ah-Wan/Etienne duo 2-0 (21-16, 21-18).

Malcouzane and Cupidon had the task of winning the men’s doubles against Roelof Dednam and Wilhem Viljeon to give Seychelles its first ever team event gold medal. They did not disappoint, getting a 2-1 (21-16, 11-21, 21-15) win to send the team into raptures.

Mauritius and Zambia were the team event bronze medallists.
In the mixed doubles event of the individual competition, Ah-Wan and Cupidon retained their title won for the first time in Algiers, Algeria, in December 2006 with a 2-1 (21-16, 17-21, 21-16) victory over the South African pair of James Doram and Michelle Edwards.

Inside the National Badminton Centre in Rose-Hill, Mauritius, the Seychellois African number one mixed doubles pair was up against another South African duo, which included the same Edwards with Chris Dednam as her partner. The final score was 2-1 (21-15, 11-21, 21-15) in favour of Seychelles.

Seychelles won two more medals – a silver and a bronze – during the same championships.

Cupidon and Malcouzane joined forces to reach the men’s doubles final but lost 0-2 (17-21, 16-21) to the Dednam brothers – Chris and Roelof – of South Africa to settle for the silver medal.

The pair of Ah-Wan and Paulin won the bronze medal after losing 0-2 (17-21, 19-21) to eventual gold medallists Michelle Edwards and Chantal Botts of South Africa.

The only title the Seychelles badminton team failed to defend in Mauritius was the ladies’ singles.

Champion in 2002 in Morocco and 2006 in Algeria, Ah-Wan lost in the quarterfinal to Nigerian Grace Daniels, who went on to win the gold medal.

Cupidon/Malcouzane men’s doubles defending champs

In last year’s Kenya International, Cupidon and Malcouzane triumphed in the men’s doubles with a 2-0 (21-11, 21-19) win over H Patel and P Ruto of Kenya in the final.

They won their first match 2-0 (21-5, 21-12) against the Kenyan pair of Taha and Mwangi, beat another Kenyan team of S Odundo and Kinyua 2-0 (21-18, 21-12) in the quarterfinal and defeated the Ugandan duo of Ebayo and Mihigo 2-0 (21-6, 21-13) in the semis.

Prize money of US $5,000 will be at stake in the Kenya International, which forms part of the African badminton circuit compromising five other international tournaments – Algeria, Mauritius, South Africa, Uganda and Nigeria.

It is also a Badminton World Federation-sanctioned tournament, which will be played on five wooden courts.

G. G.